Improvement in trusses



2 Sheets--8heet 2 A. T. C. SC H0 EV ERS.

Trusses.

Patenled June 24, l87o3.

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AM FHoTo-mHalmPH/c co. mi (assale/vak PRocEss UNITED STATES ALEXANDER T.C. SCHOEVERS, OF HAGUE, HOLLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUSSES.v

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,163, dated June 24,1873; application tiled J une 6, 1873.

at the same time shall not be liable to dis- Y placement by the motionof the body of the wearer. My said invention `has reference Vwholly ormainly to that part of the truss called the pad or cushion; and consistsin making the said pad or cushion in the following manner:

l make the back of the pad ot' a series of radial spring-arms connectedto a central plate. The ends of the spring-arms are expanded in breadthand slightly turned up. 'lhe said springs and central plate are bent soas to give the whole a domelike ligure. The said springs and centralplate may be made K in one piece by cutting out from thin sheets'teel.The outline of this spring baci?. of the pad may either be circular orelliptical. lVithin the said dome or spring back is a coiled spring of aconical figure, the apex of the cone being connected to the center ofthe plate forming the. summit of the dome. The base of the conicalspring carries a small metallic plate, which, when the spring carryingit is uncompressed, projects a short distance beyond the plane in whichthe ends of the spring-arms are situated. The parts described arecontained within a case or cover of vulcanized India rubber. The pad isconnected to the spring-band which passes round the body of the wearerby a connection at its back, which allows the said pad a considerablerange of motion about the end of the spring-band. The face of the pad ofthe truss is of a slightlyconvex gure, the central part being made toproject considerably by the pressure of the conical spring.

In applying my improved truss, the central part of the face of the padis applied to the center of the rupture, the spring-band being attachedto the body oi' the wearer. The said spring-band presses the pad againstthe body,

and the result ot the pressure is that the edge of the pad is therebypressed all round against the body, thus iixing the position of the padby the hold which the edge of the pad acquires on the ilesh of the partto which it is applied. By my improved truss the pressure is applied tothe rupture at the precise Vpoint required, and the position ofthe padis so secured that there is no risk of its displacement by the motion ofthe Wearers body.

Having explained the nature of my invention, I will proceed to describe,with reference to the accompanying drawings, the manner in whichr thesame is to be performed.

Figure l represents in edge view a truss constructed according to myinvent-ion. Fig. 2 represents across-section of the pad or cushion ofthe truss detached. Fig. 3 represents the pad or cushion in eleva-tion,Withoutits case or cover of vulcanized India rubber 5 and Figs. 4, 5, 6,7, 8, and 9 are parts of the same, as hereinafter explained.

The samej letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severaligures of the drawings.

,Y a a is the series of radial spring-arms connected to the center-plateb, the said springarms and plate constituting the spring back of thepad, the said spring back having a dome-shaped iigure. The said arms andplate a b are made from one piece of sheet-steel. The ends of thespring-arms a a are expanded in breadth and have a convex or roundedfigure given to them. The dome-shaped spring back a b is represented inplan in Fig. 4. The center-plate b of the dome-shaped spring back issecured between the flat edges ot' the two cupped metallic plates c d,the middle of each plate being hemispherical, for the purposehereinafter explained. The cupped plate c is represented separately inelevation, section, and plan in Fig. 5; and the cupped plate d isrepresented separately in elevation, section, and plan in Fig. 6. rI hetwo plates c d are connected together with the middle part b of thedome-shaped back a b between them by vthe screw-pins e e, the concavefaces of the 'PATENT OEEICE.

nectin g arm f fixed on the sprin g-band h works. The arm f f2 is shownseparately in Fig. 7. Between the cupped plate c and the head f2 of thearm f is a lilling-up piece, g, shown separately in Fig. 8. Theconnection of the spring-band h of the truss to the pad or cushion isthus e'ected by a joint of the kind commonly called a ball-and-socketjoint, the spherical end f2 of the arm f forming the ba-ll part and thespherical opening between the two plates c d the socket part of thejoint. Within the dome-shaped spring back a b of the pad is apcoiledspring, t', of a conical figure, the apex of the cone being connected bysoldering or otherwise to the center of the cupped plate c. The base ofthe conical spring i carries a small convex metallic plate, k, whichplate k projects, when the spring i is uncompressed, beyond the plane inwhich the arms a a of the spring back a b are situated. lis the case orcover, of vulcanized India rubber, (shown separately in Fig. 9,) bywhich the parts constituting the pad or cushion are enveloped. The saidcase or cover l, besides covering and protecting the parts of the padfrom injury, also assists in preventing the pad from getting out ofplace. The pad or cushA ion thus made has a convex figure, the centralpart being made to project considerably by the pressure of the conicalcoiled spring. The shape of the completed pad or cushion is best seen inFigs. l and 2. By connecting the pad or cushion to the spring-band h of'the truss by the ball-and-socket joint at its back, as represented inthe drawing, the said pad or cushion has considerable play or range ofmotion about the end of the said spring band.

In applying my improved truss to a rupture, the central part of the faceofthe pad or cushion is placed against the center of the rupture and thespring-band is fastened to the body of the wearer. On fastening thetruss to the body the action of the spring-band presses the pad againstthe body and compresses the arms a a of the spring back a b, which arethereby expanded or flattened out, and by their elasticity press everypart of the edge Z2 of the pad against the body. The position of the padis thus fixed by the hold which the edge l2 of the pad acquires on theflesh of the part to which it is applied, and the central part 7c of thepad, which has been pressed with considerable force against the rupturedpart by the action of the coiled spring t', is thereby prevented frombeing displaced.

By an examination of the drawing, it will be seen that by the unitedaction of the spring back or dome a b, conical spring and plate t' k,elastic covering l, and the spring-band h, the pad or cushion is sofirmly fixed on the person that it cannot be moved without lifting upthe spring-band.

Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in whichthe same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do notlimit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, asthe same may be varied without departing from the nature of myinvention; but

I claim as my invention of improvements in trusses for the cure orrelief of hernial. A truss pad or cushion composed of a dome-shapedspring back, in combination with a central conical spring-cushion withinthe same, the whole being arranged and enveloped in a case of vulcanizedIndia rubber or its equivalent, substantially as shown and dcscribed.

2. In combination with the domeshaped spring back and the spring-cushionwithin the same, the arm or stem for connecting said parts to thespringband of the truss, said arm being united with the pad by aball-andocket joint, substantially as shown and set orth.

ALErANDER TrMON CORNELIS scHoEVERS. Vitnesses:

Z. C. D. Ho'rz,

A. W. L DE ROOT.

